WO1995005563A1

WO1995005563A1 - Water supply device for humidification and air conditioner with the same

Info

Publication number: WO1995005563A1
Application number: PCT/JP1994/001336
Authority: WO
Inventors: Toshihide Imamura; Kanichi Kadotani; Bunji Hayakashi; Hisaakira Imaizumi; Tetsuo Shakushi; Toshihiko Matsumoto; Genichiro Watanabe
Original assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
Priority date: 1993-08-12
Filing date: 1994-08-11
Publication date: 1995-02-23
Also published as: US5701950A; KR0172056B1; EP0713060A1; KR960704195A; US5609296A; EP0713060A4

Abstract

A water supply device for humidification including an outflow tank provided on a humidifier for supplying water to said humidifier by virtue of permeation and having an overflow weir for maintaining its water level at a certain level, an inflow tank disposed on said outflow tank and having an inflow port, and a plurality of dropping members provided on a partition board between said outflow tank and inflow tank for allowing water inside said inflow tank to drop in drips by its own gravity. An air conditioner characterized in that a cooling dehumidifier, a heater, a humidifier and a blower are disposed sequentially in a wind tunnel horizontally provided in a housing, that the exit side of said wind tunnel is connected to an exit duct opened to a portion to be air conditioned, that waterproof trays each connected to each of said cooling dehumidifier and said humidifier in said wind tunnel via a hose and having a drainage port to the outside of said housing are provided under said units, and that another waterproof tray having a drainage port to the outside of said housing is provided below said waterproof trays and also said wind tunnel.

Description

Description Humidification water supply device and air conditioner provided with the same

Technical field

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a humidifying water supply device and an air conditioner provided with the humidifying water supply device. The humidifying water supply device includes, for example, a bio-heater, a clean room (box), a temperature / humidity control constant temperature constant temperature box, This device supplies pure water as humidification water to a humidification device that evaporates and humidifies pure water or ultrapure water used in cutting air control equipment, semiconductor wafer manufacturing equipment, etc. The equipment applies, for example, a resist on the surface of a semiconductor wafer while rotating it, or a coating material on an optical disc substrate.Supply air at a constant temperature and humidity to the working unit such as a spin coating machine. It is a device for

Background art

Pumps are generally used to send a certain amount of water to tanks.

However, when water is supplied by a pump, it is easy to control the flow rate of the water, but the pump is not suitable for supplying pure water including ultrapure water.

Pure water, unlike ordinary water, does not contain impurities that lubricate the sliding surfaces of pumps and the like. Deterioration of durability of pumps, etc., and contamination of pure water by these abrasions There is a problem. In addition, there is a problem that if water is supplied by a pump or the like, the size of the equipment increases and the cost increases.

In addition, although the tube pump is non-polluting to pure water, it has poor durability, and further has problems such as pulsation. Furthermore, when a device that sends water by a pump is used for a humidifier having an evaporator where a heating wire made of metal or the like comes into direct contact with water, there is a problem that electric leakage may occur to the outside via pure water. is there. In other words, pure water is never insulative (resistance value: about 18 Ω), and if C02 in the air is absorbed, the resistance ground will be reduced to 1/10, and the leakage There's a problem.

In addition, a conventional air conditioner includes a cooling dehumidifier that cools and dehumidifies intake air, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-11313, and a dehumidifier using the cooling dehumidifier. The air conditioner includes a heater for heating the air to a predetermined temperature, a humidifier for humidifying the air to a predetermined humidity, and a blower for supplying the air.

In this conventional air conditioner, a cooling dehumidifier consisting of a blower and a heat exchanger for cooling, a heating machine consisting of a heat exchanger for temperature control and a humidifier are arranged vertically in a cylindrical housing in order. The vertical laminar flow in which the temperature and the humidity of the vertical laminar flow are controlled is supplied to a portion to be air-conditioned such as the spin coating device located below the laminar flow.

However, in the above-described conventional air conditioner, the water that has been condensed and removed from the air by the cooling dehumidifier has to fall down.If this water adheres to the heater or the temperature and humidity sensor provided in the housing, There is a problem that the temperature / humidity control accuracy is reduced. In addition, the water mixes with the conditioned air If water enters the filter provided at the outlet of the housing and the water adheres to the filter, there is a problem that the filter is clogged and the supply air flow is reduced.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention provides a humidifying water supply device that can supply a certain amount of pure water to an evaporating section with an inexpensive device without using a mechanical water supply device, and that does not cause an electric leakage accident. The primary purpose is to provide

In addition, the present invention is also applicable to a case where even if water droplets fall from each component of an air conditioner such as a cooling dehumidifier, the water adheres to a heater or a temperature / humidity sensor provided in a housing or an outlet side of the conditioned air. The second object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of high-precision temperature / humidity control without any influence of dew condensation, such as preventing the filter from clogging due to contamination. I do. Disclosure of the invention

In order to achieve the first object, the humidifying water supply device according to the present invention is provided on a humidifier, supplies water to the humidifier by infiltration, and adjusts its own water level. An outflow tank provided with an overflow weir to keep it constant, an inflow tank located above the outflow tank and provided with an inflow port, and a connection between the inflow tank and the outflow tank. And a plurality of dropping members provided on the cutting plate for causing the water in the inflow tank to drop by gravity.

According to the above configuration, water is supplied in a drop form from the inflow tank to the outflow tank, and the water in the outflow tank is reduced by over-supplying water overflowing. A fixed amount is maintained in a stationary state, and the amount of water supplied to the humidifier below this outflow tank is constant. Can be kept. Therefore, a fixed amount of pure water can be supplied to the evaporating section of the humidifier with an inexpensive device without using a mechanical water supply device such as a pump, and the humidifier can maintain high-precision humidity. And the monkey.

In addition to the above configuration, the inflow tank and the outflow tank are made of an insulating material, and the inner surfaces of the inflow tank and the outflow tank are subjected to a hydrophobic treatment.

According to this configuration, since water is supplied from the inflow tank to the outflow tank in a drop form, a continuous film of water is not formed between the outflow tank and the inflow tank, so that the outflow tank is not formed. Electricity generated by transmitting water from the tank to the inflow tank side can be eliminated, and there is no need to use an expensive insulation transformer.

Further, a float switch for detecting a water level is provided in the inflow tank. An on-off valve is provided in the inflow port, and the on-off valve is controlled by a signal from the float switch to control the on-off valve from the inflow port. May be controlled.

In order to achieve the second object, an air conditioner according to the present invention includes: a cooling dehumidifier, a heater, a humidifier, and a blower arranged in a horizontal wind tunnel provided in a housing; The outlet side is connected to an outlet duct opened toward the air-conditioning section, and the housing is connected to each of the units by a hose below the cooling dehumidifier and the humidifier in the wind tunnel, and the housing is connected to the housing. A waterproof tray having an outlet to the outside is provided, and another waterproof tray having an outlet to the outside of the housing is provided below the waterproof tray and below the wind tunnel. It consists of According to the above configuration, even if water droplets fall from each component of the air conditioner such as the cooling dehumidifier, the water is received by the tray and discharged to the outside of the housing. High-precision temperature and humidity with no effect of dew condensation, such as preventing the filter from clogging by attaching to the temperature / humidity sensor installed in the Control is possible.

The exit duct may face downward, and a filter may be provided at the end. Further, a temperature and humidity sensor may be provided in the outlet duct, and each of the units may be controlled by a power controller based on a detection value of the temperature and humidity sensor. Further, a temperature / humidity sensor may be provided in the vicinity of the lower portion of the filter, and the respective units may be controlled by a power controller based on a detection value of the temperature / humidity sensor. apparatus.

In addition, the air conditioner

A cooling dehumidifier, a heater, a humidifier, and a blower are sequentially arranged in a horizontal wind tunnel provided in the housing, and the outlet side of the wind tunnel is connected to an outlet duct opened toward a part to be air-conditioned. A waterproof tray having a discharge outlet to the outside of the housing is installed below the cooling dehumidifier and the humidifier in the wind tunnel, respectively, and below the waterproof tray and below the wind tunnel. Further provided with another waterproof tray having a discharge outlet to the outside of the housing,

A device for supplying humidifying water to the humidifier is provided on the humidifier, and is provided with an overflow weir for supplying water to the humidifier by infiltration and for keeping the water level of the humidifier constant. An outflow tank, an inflow tank disposed above the outflow tank and provided with an inflow port. A plurality of dripping members provided on a partition plate between the inflow tank and the outflow tank for causing water in the inflow tank to drop by gravity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention will be better understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings illustrating an embodiment of the invention. The embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings are not intended to specify the invention, but merely to facilitate explanation and understanding.

In the figure,

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of a humidifying water supply device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of another example of the dropping member of the above embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the water level of the inflow tank and the amount of water supplied by dripping by the different dripping members of the above embodiment.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the amount of electric power for heating the humidifier and the amount of evaporative water.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of use of an air conditioner according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of a first embodiment of the air conditioner according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of a second embodiment of the air conditioner according to the present invention. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, a humidifying water supply device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and an air conditioner including the same will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a humidifying water supply device according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a water supply tank. This water supply tank 1 is composed of an electrical insulator, is separated into two upper and lower stages by a partition plate 2, and the upper side thereof is an inflow tank 1 a, the lower side is outflow tank 1b. An inlet 3 is provided on the side wall of the inflow tank 1a, and a float switch 4 for adjusting the water level is provided so as to hang down from the top wall of the inflow tank 1a. Interior. The inlet 3 is provided with an on-off valve 3a, and the on-off valve 3a is controlled by a signal from the float switch 4 to control the amount of water flowing in from the inlet 3. I'm doing it. The outflow tank 1b is provided with an overflow weir 5 to keep the water level in the outflow tank 1b constant, and the side wall of the outflow tank 1b is filled with overflow water outside the overflow weir 5. Drainage port 6 for drainage is provided.

The partition plate 2 is provided with a plurality of communication holes 7 for communicating the upper and lower tanks 1a and 1b. A drop nozzle 8 having a lower end opened in an expanded shape is fitted into each of the communication holes 7. The dripping nozzle 8 is made of an electrical insulator and has an inner surface that is hydrophilic. The hole diameter of the drip nozzle 8 is 2 mm or less, and water passing through the drip nozzle 8 drops and falls. The inner surfaces of the upper and lower tanks la and 1b are subjected to a hydrophobic treatment.

The humidifier 9 is located below the outflow tank 1b. This humidifier 9 has a large number of water-permeable hollow fiber bodies 13 stretched between a bottom plate 10 of the outflow tank lb and an upper plate 12 of the lower tank 11. Each hollow thread 13 communicates with the outflow tank 1b and the lower tank 11 respectively. Each hollow fiber body 13 has gold over its entire length. Each of the metal thin wires 14 is wound, and each of the metal thin wires 14 is connected to a power supply 16 via electrodes 15a and 15b. A horizontal ventilation passage 17 is provided between the outflow tank 1b and the lower tank 11 so that each hollow fiber body 13 is exposed to the wind passing therethrough. According to the above configuration, pure water flows into the inflow tank 1a from the inflow port 3 under natural flow. Since the inflow of pure water from the inlet 3 is controlled by controlling the on-off valve 3 a by a signal from the float switch 4, the water level in the inflow tank 1 a is It is always within a certain range. The pure water in the inflow tank 1a is dripped from the drip nozzle 8 provided on the partition plate 2 to the outflow tank 1b. Then, the water level at this outflow tank lb is maintained at the overflow 5, and the overflowing pure water is discharged from the outlet 6.

The pure water in the outflow tank 1 b leaches into the surface of the humidifier 9 while flowing down the hollow fiber body 13 little by little, and evaporates due to the heating of the energized fine metal wires 14, and the ventilation passage The wind passing through 17 is humidified by the pure water vapor.

In the above operation, the supply of pure water from the inflow tank 1a to the outflow tank 1b is performed by dripping at the drip nozzle 8, so that the pure water in the outflow tank 1b is extremely stationary. Will be kept.

According to the present embodiment, the water is supplied dropwise from the inflow tank 1a to the outflow tank 1b, and the oversupplied water overflows from the overflow tank 5 so that the outflow tank 1a is discharged. A certain amount of water in b is kept stationary, and the amount of water supplied to the humidifier 9 below the outflow tank lb can be kept constant. Therefore, without using a mechanical water supply device such as a pump, a certain amount of pure water can be obtained with an inexpensive device. Water can be supplied to the evaporating section of the humidifier 9, and the humidifier 9 can maintain highly accurate humidity.

Also, even if the supply of water to the outflow tank 1b is dripped and the potential of pure water in the outflow tank 1b is high due to the leakage of electricity from the heating section of the humidifier 5, Electric leakage from the drip portion to the inflow tank 1a side is prevented, and leakage to the outside via pure water flowing from the inflow port 3 of the inflow tank 1a is eliminated.

Also, at this time, since the inner surfaces of the inflow tank 1a and the outflow tank 1b are hydrophobic, water does not adhere to the inner surfaces of both tanks 1a and 1b. Since a continuous film of water is not formed during 1b, electric leakage along these inner surfaces is also prevented.

The dripping nozzle 8 may be made of a plastic, for example, a rigid material such as 6-nylon.66-nylon or polypropylene surface hydrophilized product, as shown in FIG. Alternatively, it may be a hollow fiber 18 or a solid fibrous fibrous material. Note that all of them have been subjected to a hydrophilic treatment.

Fig. 3 shows the case of a dropping nozzle 8 with an inner diameter of 2 mm and a fiber hollow fiber 18 with an outer diameter of 1.9 mm and an inner diameter of 1.0 mm. It shows the relationship between water flow rates, and it is clear from this that each water flow rate changes according to the water level of inflow tank 1a.

Fig. 4 shows the relationship between the amount of electric power for heating of the humidifier 9 and the amount of evaporative water. According to this, if the amount of electric power is the same, the amount of evaporative water greatly increases according to the amount of water supplied to the humidifier 9. Was found to change.

In the above example, a hollow fiber body was used below the outflow tank 1b. Although an example in which the humidifier 9 is provided is shown, it is also possible to provide a single outlet on the bottom plate of the outflow tank 1b and supply a certain amount of water from this outlet to the boiler-type humidifier. Good.

Next, an air conditioner provided with the humidifying water supply device will be described. FIG. 5 shows an example of use of the air conditioner according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes a clean room in which air is taken in through a filter 21a, and 22 denotes a clean room 21. This is a spin-coating device installed on the floor, and an air conditioner 23 according to the present invention is mounted on the spin-coating device 22 in a built-in manner above the spin-coating device 22.

The air conditioner 23 is configured as shown in FIG. 6, and a cooling dehumidifier 25, a heater 26, a humidifier 27, and a centrifugal fan-type blower 28 are generally provided in a housing 24. They are arranged in series in a horizontally provided wind tunnel 29. The cooling dehumidifier 25 faces the inlet side of the wind tunnel 29 provided with the pre-filter 30, and the outlet side of the blower 28 is connected to the outlet duct 31, which is formed to expand downward in a taper shape. Connected. The outlet duct 31 is opened through the high-performance filter 32 to the lower surface of the housing 24, and this opening is opposed to the air-coated portion of the spin coating device 22. The humidifier 27 is connected to the humidification water supply device.

A cooling water generator 33 is connected to the cooling dehumidifier 25 via a pump 34. The cooling water generator 33, the heater 26, the humidifier 27, and the blower 28 are connected to a power controller 35, and the power controller 35 is connected to the outlet duct 31. The above devices are controlled based on the value detected by the temperature and humidity sensor 36 provided in the Is adjusted so that the temperature and the humidity and the air volume become desired values.

Waterproof trays 37 and 38 are provided below the cooling dehumidifier 25 and the humidifier 27 in the wind tunnel 29, and these are provided via hoses 37a and 38a. They are connected to the cooling dehumidifier 25 and the humidifier 27, respectively. Also, the entire lower part of the housing 24 except for the outlet duct 31 is closed in a liquid-tight manner, and this part constitutes another waterproof tray 39, and the waterproof tray 39 has There is an outlet 40 outside the housing. The outlets 40 are also surrounded by the trays 37 and 38. The cold water generator 33 is provided on the waterproof tray 39.

According to the above configuration, by driving the blower 28, the air in the clean room 21 is sucked from the inlet of the wind tunnel 29 through the pre-filter 30. This air is cooled and dehumidified by the cooling dehumidifier 25 while passing through the wind tunnel 29, then heated by the heater 26, humidified by the humidifier 27, and exit duct 3 1 The air is supplied to the spin coating device 22 through the higher performance filter 32 as air having a predetermined temperature and humidity and a flow rate. The temperature and humidity of the supply air at this time are detected by the temperature and humidity sensor 36, and the power controller 35 controls each device based on the detected value.

In the operation described above, the moisture in the air passing through the cooling dehumidifier 25 condenses and falls down through a heat absorbing member such as a fin, and is received by a water-proof tray 37 provided below the same to be discharged. It is discharged to the outside of the housing 24 through the outlet 40.

If the water supplied to the humidifier 27 leaks, it is received by the waterproof tray 38 provided below the humidifier 27, and is discharged through the discharge port 40. It is discharged to the outside of ring 24.

In addition, if water leaks from the waterproof trays 37 and 38 and the piping leading to them, the water is received by another waterproof tray 39 formed at the lower portion of the housing 24. Is discharged to the outside of the housing 24 through the drain port 40.

According to the above configuration, even if water drops fall from each component of the air conditioner such as the cooling dehumidifier 25, this water is received by the trays 37, 38, and 39, and is outside the housing 24. Is discharged to the heater 26 and the temperature / humidity sensor 36 provided in the housing 24 and may enter the air-conditioning air outlet and cause the filter 32 to become clogged. There is no influence of dew condensation, and there is no effect, and high-precision temperature and humidity control is possible.

Note that, unlike the above embodiment, the temperature and humidity sensor 36 may be provided near the lower part of the filter 32 as shown in FIG.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, various modifications, omissions, and additions can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Is obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to the above embodiments, but should be understood to include the scope defined by the elements recited in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. An outflow tank provided above the humidifier and provided with an overflow weir to supply water to the humidifier by infiltration and to maintain its own water level, and an upper side of the outflow tank And an inflow tank provided with an inflow port, and a partition plate between the inflow tank and the outflow tank for allowing water in the inflow tank to drop by gravity. And a plurality of dropping members.

2. The inflow tank and the outflow tank are made of an insulating material, and the inner surfaces of the inflow tank and the outflow tank are subjected to a hydrophobic treatment. Humidification water supply described in

3. A float switch for detecting the water level is provided in the inflow tank, an on-off valve is provided in the inflow port, and the on-off valve is controlled by a signal from the float switch to control the water from the inflow port. The humidification water supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an inflow amount of the water is controlled.

4. A cooling dehumidifier, a humidifier, a humidifier, and a blower are sequentially arranged in a horizontal wind tunnel provided in the housing, and the outlet side of the wind tunnel is connected to an outlet duct that opens toward the part to be air-conditioned. A waterproof tray connected to each machine by a hose and having a discharge port to the outside of the housing is provided below the cooling dehumidifier and the humidifier in the wind tunnel, respectively. An air conditioner comprising another waterproof tray having an outlet to the outside of the housing below the waterproof tray and below the wind tunnel.

5. The exit duct is facing downward, and a filter The empty space according to claim 4, wherein the empty space is provided.

^ ¾ ¾

6. A temperature and humidity sensor is provided in the exit duct, and each unit is controlled by a power controller based on a detected value of the temperature and humidity sensor. An air conditioner according to paragraph 5 above.

7. A temperature and humidity sensor is provided near the bottom of the filter, and each unit is controlled by a power controller based on a detected value of the temperature and humidity sensor. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein

8. A cooling dehumidifier, a humidifier, a humidifier, and a blower are sequentially arranged in a horizontal wind tunnel provided in the housing, and the outlet side of the wind tunnel is connected to an outlet duct that opens toward the part to be air-conditioned. A waterproof tray connected to each machine by a hose and having a discharge port to the outside of the housing is provided below the cooling dehumidifier and the humidifier in the wind tunnel, respectively. Below the waterproof tray and below the wind tunnel, another waterproof tray having an outlet to the outside of the housing is provided,

A device for supplying humidifying water to the humidifier is provided on the humidifier, and is provided with an overflow weir for supplying water to the humidifier by infiltration and for keeping the water level of the humidifier constant. An outflow tank, an inflow tank disposed above the outflow tank and provided with an inflow port, and-a partition plate provided between the inflow tank and the outflow tank, wherein the inflow tank has An air conditioner, comprising: a plurality of dripping members for causing the water to drop by gravity in the form of drops.